Moving From Shock and Despair into Galvanization

By Alex S. Morgan (June 27, 2018)

I come from a long line of stubborn fighters. It’s coming time for some ancestor magic.

We are not helpless.

In the here and now, we have ties to the past and the future. We have not only the force of our own will, but that of generations behind us. We have not only the light of our own hope, but duty to the future before us, to those who will come after us.

Hold the line.

You are not alone. Keep resisting. Keep pushing back. Every inch you make them fight for matters.

Slowing this down matters. Making them expend resources working for it matters. Taking control of the story, showing them for the inhumane fascists they are, matters and gains us support.

No, we aren’t winning yet. But the longer we hold out, the more fiercely we fight, the less they have to rule with.

Yes, our losses are significant and real, and every day it seems we’re threatened with new ones.

This is not going to be easy. We already have a lot to come back from. But it is NOT yet hopeless.

Do what you need to do to be safe and well. But let a part of that care be reminding yourself that you are not powerless in the face of this creeping dread. Let a part of that care be for your future self; rest when you need to, trust that we all work in shifts, and when you can, push back from where you can with what you have.

Support others who resist. Love fiercely. Live well.

When we survive this, we will have a future to build, and a chance to replace broken machinery with new dreams.

Let’s make sure there are as many of us as possible to see that happen.

Take heart. You are not alone in this.

alex

Justice Means Solidarity Politics

By Alex S. Morgan (June 4, 2018)

Happy Pride Month! I’m a queer, non-binary femme trans person who is kinky and polyamorous and who has done sex work under three genders. They/them/their pronouns only, please.

Pride for me is both celebration AND riot. We NEED to celebrate each other and ourselves as we fight for justice, because this is a marathon, not a sprint. And justice also means celebrating, not just mourning or paying lip service to, queer, trans, and two-spirit people of color.

Justice also means solidarity politics over respectability politics: Black trans sex workers were there at Stonewall, and sex workers have done sex work to finance more queer and trans activism than the world may ever know. Sex work is also a lifeline for homeless queer and trans youth who to this day struggle to find accepting shelter beds, and for many adult trans and gender nonconforming folks who face transphobic hiring discrimination.

Our communities have been linked since recorded history (if not sooner). Our entire glittery contingent needs to get behind sex workers’ rights, because the same organizations and movements that are targeting sex workers also have sexual freedom and gender expression in their crosshairs.

Happy Pride Month, and happy (slightly belated) International Sex Workers’ Day.

alex

Progress Worth Celebrating (But It Doesn’t End Here)

By Alex S. Morgan  (June 26, 2015)

This is progress worth celebrating. It doesn’t stop here, and there is so much left to do, especially for LGBT folks who have been multiply marginalized: sex workers, immigrants, folks with complex health needs, the incarcerated, and queer and trans people of color, but celebrating these milestone victories gives us the momentum to keep going. Continue reading “Progress Worth Celebrating (But It Doesn’t End Here)”

On Disassociation

By Alex S. Morgan

We usually think of dissociation as a coping skill or adaptive behavior associated with trauma, anxiety, and/or sometimes distress related to gender dysphoria, but in reality many people are partially mentally or emotionally checked out, or not fully present in their bodies, during sexual and intimate activities. Continue reading “On Disassociation”

Celebrating National Coming Out Day: Something Personal for Everyone

 

By Alex S. Morgan

Happy National Coming Out Day! I’m going to update my list of disclosures a little today. See if you notice anything new. Continue reading “Celebrating National Coming Out Day: Something Personal for Everyone”

Nobody Wins in Martyr Dynamics: A Guide to Consensual Giving

 

By Alex S. Morgan

What would it be like to give and not regret it? How would it feel to receive knowing the other shoe would never drop? Continue reading “Nobody Wins in Martyr Dynamics: A Guide to Consensual Giving”